Best of British

The farmer who harvests 40 million sprouts a year is very particular about how he grows – and eats – them

Sprout farming in Scotland

PETER STIRLING’S FARMING ancestors moved to the cliffs of Arbroath, in Scotland, 100 years ago. ‘As a child, I worked on the farm in the school holidays and spent weekends picking fruit and potatoes,’ says Stirling, now 53.

His father owned both the family farm and a nightclub, and aged 20 Stirling began managing the club, which had grown from humble origins as a milk bar. ‘It was a good grounding,’ he recalls. A year later, his father helped him buy his own farm, a 360-acre plot nearby, which Stirling named Seahills, ploughing all of his time into it. His father sold the nightclub soon after.

Strawberries were Stirling’s first crop, then potatoes and finally brussels sprouts. Over the years he has successfully expanded and now owns five fruit farms and one arable.

Today he lives at Seahills with his wife, Wendy, and three children, Heidi, 10, Woody, four, and Carmen, two, and says that his most important vegetable crop is sprouts. Last year, he produced 830 tons of them and he is Marks & Spencer’s sole UK supplier.

Christmas is his busiest season and Stirling employs extra staff to help his full-time team of 100 manage, though cultivation begins in April when the sprouts are planted.

One of the benefits of the farm’s location is its climate. ‘Some call it the Goldilocks climate,’ laughs Stirling, referring to the fact that Seahills is neither too hot nor too cold. ‘We get extra sunlight reflected off the ocean, which gives the sprouts a sweeter taste. And we don’t get extreme heat, which means fewer pests and diseases.’

He waits until August to begin the harvest. ‘If you pick the sprouts too early they can be a bit spongy,’ he explains. ‘We’ll taste them before harvesting – I often eat them raw.’

Next Stirling and his team trim them by hand using a small knife, then divide them into different grades (according to size) and send them to a bagging machine. The entire process takes just 24 hours.

By Christmas Day, as many as 40 million sprouts will have been harvested at the farm, but Stirling and his family never tire of them. ‘My kids have sprouts every other day,’ he says. And Christmas is no exception.

So how do the Stirlings like their sprouts? ‘Slightly steamed so they’re crunchy, then tossed in coconut oil with a bit of salt.’

Above and right Peter Stirling and his crop of brussels sprouts. Interview by Jessica Carpani. Photographs by Sean Dooley